Snake Bytes 8/1: Hello Old Friend

The calendar month turns to August, Arizona says see you soon to two middle infielders due to injury and tragedy, and the bullpen welcomes back a familiar face. The team finishes the month with a record of 10-14 although the team outscored opponents 106 to 87. However, the team was 2-9 in 1 runs games, so it is not as if there was a complete lack of opportunity for success. Capitalizing in a few key moments would have ended July with a much different tune. Patrick Corbin (8-9, 4.36 ERA) opens the month against the defending World Champion Chicago Cubs and Jon Lester (8-6, 3.88 ERA).

Diamondbacks News

[D’backs.com] Marte returns to Dominican Republic after death of mother - Ketel Marte has been placed on the bereavement list after the gut wrenching death of his mother, Elpidia Valdez. The young middle infielder has returned the Dominican Republic to be with his family. On behalf of the AZ Snake Pit, we extend our deepest condolences to the Marte family.

[AZ Central] Arizona Diamondbacks bring aboard David Hernandez, Adam Rosales at trade deadline - With the loss of both Chris Owings and Ketel Marte, Mike Hazen made the wise decision to make a temporary addition to the middle infield in the form of Adam Rosales. The long anticipated bullpen acquisition resulted in the reunion with former Diamondbacks reliever David Hernandez. Nick Ahmed was transferred to the 60 day disabled list to make a roster spot available for Hernandez in a corresponding move. David pitched for the Diamondbacks from 2011-2015 with his best season coming in 2012. Mike Hazen stated that Hernandez has been on the team’s radar recently in the quest to add another bullpen arm.

“We had a chance to scout and watch a number of his outings,” Hazen said. “His stuff has been good and very typical to how he has pitched when healthy throughout the majority of his career. He’s pitched here, he’s familiar with this environment, with the ballpark, with the organization, and he’s been very successful.”

[Arizona Sports] Diamondbacks’ bats in August will make or break season - The pitching staff has more than held its end of the bargain this season. Brandon Drury and Jake Lamb will have to demonstrate that their early season success can be sustained into the waning months of the season. Arizona only has to beat out one of either Chicago, Colorado, or Milwaukee for the chance at a one game play-in to October baseball. The Diamondbacks will enter an August schedule at less than full strength against a plethora of playoff contenders.

[Venom Strikes] Replacing Robbie Ray in rotation remains challenging - With Randall Delgado currently on the disabled list, the only logical replacements for a Robbie Ray spot in the rotation are Anthony Banda or Braden Shipley. Braden Shipley has more experience of the two in terms of MLB starts, but Anthony Banda was highly impressive in his debut against the Washington Nationals who have one of the best offenses in the league.

“(Ray) came into the clubhouse and he looked really good,” [Torey Lovullo] said. “The wound was repaired with a couple of staples in his head. He just said he felt a little bit sore. Everything is trending toward a very positive outcome. The cognitive testing was good, his balance was good, but he still has some signs of a concussion. Those will hopefully be eliminated in the coming days.”

Around the League

[ESPN] Power Rankings - No movement within the first 6 teams and Arizona is kept at #5 this week. Bleacher Report drops them one spot further to #8. Fanrag keeps the Diamondbacks at their previous spot of #4.

[Sports Illustrated] Yankees, Dodgers win big on Deadline Day, making dream World Series matchup a real possibility - A Yankees Dodgers World Series will ensure that I will be fully entrenched in the Dallas Cowboys and their 2017-2018 season. The Dodgers made a significant acquisition to their already stacked rotation by adding Yu Darvish. I highly doubt that the Yankees have the firepower required to defeat the Astros in a playoff series.

[Bleacher Report] MLB Trade Deadline: Grading the Biggest Trades This Season - For once in what has seemed to be an eternity, the Diamondbacks were apparent landslide victors in a trade with a Major League team. #JustDingers Martinez has demonstrated his value to the lineup in his short time here and will be vital to a stretch run Arizona.